Is there a task for someone suffering a heart attack, and is there a task to resuscitate a victim by a PC with a medic skill? What min skill level is required?
Cardiac Arrest and resuscitation
- Thread starter Blue Ghost
- Start date
AFAIK there are no tasks for that as there are not many rules for illness (you can asume an aging crisis is a heart attack, though)
About performing CPR, I'd say that any skill representing first aid training1 would allow to try, but, off course, a full medic would probably speed the recovery and avoid sequels.
As a referee, I'd make it not more difficult to resuscitate it by the fact of the skill used not being medical, but the time to recover will depend on it and the equipment used (as even a full doctor acting without equipment is in fact using first aid more tan medicine), as will any sequels remaining (loss of endurance, etc...)
This is version dependent, as there are versions (as T4) where first aid is a skill on its own and others where you can ssume it on medic 0, or even survial skill, as was assumed in On Target (White Dwarf 28) that it includes first aid training, or it can be assumed that anyone that has been in a military/police corps to have minimal first aid training
Well, I guess I better define it then in the adventure I'm writing.
Unless anyone else has a reference.
Unless anyone else has a reference.
Nope.
But you may want to consider that it will depend on the TL of the equipment available.
If it's mere CPR, it's probably influenced by Medic skill, Dex, and End. If you're on a TL 15 starship, it is probably based on your ability to read directions on the AED hanging on the lounge wall, and then the sickbay's ACME Autodoc's ability to insert a stent through a catheter.
It gets more difficult the longer the characters fritter around.
Long-term healing is a different question. How bad is the damage to the heart muscle? What technologies and therapies are available?
I'm thinking 1100 for a year, classic CT setting, TL12. Event takes place on a ship probably of the same TL or maybe one or two TLs higher.
I just thought maybe someone knew of an article written up in a JTAS or something.
I just thought maybe someone knew of an article written up in a JTAS or something.
There are 3 articles about medicine in TD. They're post issue 10.
I'll figure it out.
Actions when you fing a cardiac arrest (I assume heart ichemia, either infract or angina) in RW (TL7-8). Protocols may vary slightly:
First aid actions:
Heart still beating::
At a hospital:
Translation to game (my take, YMMV):
Outside medical facilities:
If the heart still beats, little to do aside from calling for help and, if you have a medikit, I'd asume it has painkillers and nitroglicerin. Many skills can help (e.g. leader/psycology/persuasión or like may help to calm the patient, giving you modifiers for latter tasks, etc...). Main task to survive it would be depending on patient's End, modified by drug availability. If the task is failed, heart stops.
If heart stops, another task, this time modified by medical/first aid skill to keep him/her alive. If so, recovery time in weeks and sequels quite probable (loss of End, Str or both).
Medical facilities available:
Depending on the quality/TL of the facilities the task dificulty level could vary. In any case, main modifiers here would be medical skill and patient's end. Also first a task to avoid heart stopping and, if fails, another to keep him/her alive.
Recovery in days and reduced probablity of sequels.
In any case, sequels could be recoverable at higher TLs if the possibility to regenrate dead heart tissue (e.g. stem cells) is available. Treatment expensive and time requiring (less so as TL increases).
Hope that helps.
First aid actions:
Heart still beating::
- Call for help
- Try to calm the patient (good luck on it)
- Administer any painkiller if you have it
- Administer nitroglicerin pills if you have them1
Note 1: As many people has heart problems, if at any place where there is people you ask if someone has nitroglicerin, I bet there's a fair chance someone has, but that's my guess, never tried
At a hospital:
- Administer nitroglicerin
- Start an IV (if the patient does not have it)
- Administer morphine (not only is painkiller and tranquilizer, but also reduces oxygen needs)
- Administer clot preventing/disolving drugs
- Perform a coronary catheterism to remove the clot/widen the arteries
- Try Basic/advanced Vital Support (formerly called CPR) maneuvers
- Use an automatic defibrilator if you have it.
Translation to game (my take, YMMV):
Outside medical facilities:
If the heart still beats, little to do aside from calling for help and, if you have a medikit, I'd asume it has painkillers and nitroglicerin. Many skills can help (e.g. leader/psycology/persuasión or like may help to calm the patient, giving you modifiers for latter tasks, etc...). Main task to survive it would be depending on patient's End, modified by drug availability. If the task is failed, heart stops.
If heart stops, another task, this time modified by medical/first aid skill to keep him/her alive. If so, recovery time in weeks and sequels quite probable (loss of End, Str or both).
Medical facilities available:
Depending on the quality/TL of the facilities the task dificulty level could vary. In any case, main modifiers here would be medical skill and patient's end. Also first a task to avoid heart stopping and, if fails, another to keep him/her alive.
Recovery in days and reduced probablity of sequels.
In any case, sequels could be recoverable at higher TLs if the possibility to regenrate dead heart tissue (e.g. stem cells) is available. Treatment expensive and time requiring (less so as TL increases).
Hope that helps.
In the Doctor Who episode the power of three, my grabbed some equipment and resuscitated the Doctor. Also my wife forced me to watch ER so I have a vague idea what to do if the equipment is available as well....
Regards
David
"OK, you're trying to suffer a myocardial infarction. Base target is an 8+, DMs are ..."
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